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PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITY

Cafe Operation: Earlestown Town Hall

St Helens Council · Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender

Tender information last checkedLast checked 4 Oct 2026, 02:17.

Opportunity overview

St Helens Borough Council is undertaking soft market testing to understand market interest in operating a new café facility within the recently refurbished Earlestown Town Hall. As part of the wider regeneration programme for Earlestown, the Grade II listed Town Hall has undergone extensive restoration and refurbishment to bring this landmark building back into civic, cultural, and community use. A new extension has been constructed to the north of the Town Hall to accommodate the café. This purpose‑built space has been designed to act as an inviting, vibrant focal point within the building, offering a high‑quality and welcoming environment for residents, visitors, families, and those working locally. The café will provide approximately 40 internal covers within a seating area of 36.15m², with potential for additional outdoor seating within the Town Hall Courtyard. We would like to take the opportunity to do some `soft market testing', to determine current interest levels in the market. THIS IS NOT A CALL FOR COMPETITION This Soft Market Test is intended to allow interested organisations with relevant experience to outline their views and provide information with no commitment to themselves or the Council.

Classification

  • CPV55300000 — Restaurant and food-serving services
  • CPV55500000 — Canteen and catering services

Lots

  • Lot 1Value not stated

Documents and notices

Published notice details

Additional information from the published procurement release. Fields appear only when supplied by the source; check the original notice and tender documents before acting.

Scope, procedure and submissions

Id
ocds-h6vhtk-0663be
Main Procurement Category
services
Above Threshold
No
Status
planning

Legal basis

Id
2023/54
Scheme
UKPGA

Special regime

concession

Lots and requirements

Entry 1
Id
1
Has Renewal
Yes
Status
planning

Suitability

Sme
Yes

Contract period

Starts
3 Aug 2026, 00:00
Ends
2 Aug 2028, 23:59
Max Extent Date
2 Aug 2029, 23:59

Items and delivery

Item 1
Id
1
Related Lot
1

Additional Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
CPV
Id
55300000
Description
Restaurant and food-serving services
Entry 2
Scheme
CPV
Id
55500000
Description
Canteen and catering services

Delivery locations

Entry 1
Region
UKD7
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom

Planning and budget

Milestones

Entry 1
Id
engagement
Type
engagement
Description
The Soft Market Test document will be issued via The Chest (project ID DN809048). Further details of the requirements can be found in the documents attached to the opportunity. To register interest in the opportunity and respond, suppliers will need to register on The Chest https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ Interested suppliers are required to complete the company information form and a short questionnaire (Appendix 1). Suppliers who complete and return the questionnaire may be invited to meet with Council representatives to discuss its requirements. The questionnaire should be returned via The Chest - https://www.the-chest.org.uk/ by Friday 20th March 2026 12pm. If Suppliers have any questions about this soft market test, such questions should be submitted to the Council using the 'Question and Answer' facility within the opportunity advertised on The Chest. A copy of the question and a copy of the written reply may be circulated to all Suppliers, with anonymity of the Supplier preserved. Suppliers must not raise questions through any other channels, including emails direct to the Council or to STAR Procurement. No questions will be responded to, other than those raised through The Chest as described above. We encourage your participation in this soft market testing exercise, but must emphasise that your involvement in this exercise will not carry any commercial advantage in any ensuing procurement process. No information provided in response to this soft market testing exercise will be used in any evaluation of any subsequent response to a procurement exercise.
Due
20 Mar 2026, 23:59
Status
scheduled

Documents

Entry 1
Id
020217-2026
Document Type
marketEngagementNotice
Notice Type
UK2
Description
Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender
Published
6 Mar 2026, 09:53
Format
text/html

Buyer, suppliers and contacts

Organisation 1
Name
St Helens Council
Id
GB-PPON-PPYM-6238-VHLR

Identifier

Scheme
GB-PPON
Id
PPYM-6238-VHLR

Address

Street Address
Town Hall
Locality
St Helens
Postal Code
WA10 1HP
Country
GB
Country Name
United Kingdom
Region
UKD71

Contact

Roles

buyer

Details

Classifications

Entry 1
Scheme
UK_CA_TYPE
Id
publicAuthoritySubCentralGovernment
Description
Public authority - sub-central government

Recorded locations

  • Buyer location · St Helens · UKD71 · WA10 1HP · United Kingdom
  • Delivery location · UKD7 · United Kingdom

Notice and amendment history

1 published notice version reviewed by ProcuraAxis.

1 VERSION
  1. 020217-2026Preliminary market engagement notice on Find a Tender ·